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DISCOURSE, 



DELIVERED BEFOKE THE 



HISTORICAL SOCIETY 



PENNSYLVANIA, 



THE NINTH DAV OF APRIL, 1836, 



THE PRIVATE LIFE AND DOMESTIC HABITS 



OF 



WILLIAM PENIV, 



BY J. FRANCIS FISHER. 




PHILADELPHIA: 

PRINTED FOR M'CARTY & DAVIS,— No. 171, MARKET STREET. 



1836. 






At a special meeting of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 
held at Philadelphia, on Saturday, the 9th of April, 1835: 

It was resolved that the thanks of the Society be presented to J. Fran- 
cis Fisher, Esq., for his interesting discourse on " The Private Life and 
Domestic Habits of William Penn," this day pronounced, and that he be 
requested to furnish a copy for publication. 

J. R. TYSON, Secretary. 



DISCOURSE. 



With the same spirit in which we visit the residences of 
authors, whose works have been our delight or consolation, or 
of Statesmen and Philanthropists, whose memories we bless ; 
with the same interest we feel while we look at the moulder- 
ing furniture of their chambers, seat ourselves in the chairs 
they have reposed in, or look out upon the gardens which 
were once their recreation, do we collect from letters or dia- 
ries, and the recollections of the aged, the few scattered no- 
tices of their habits and their manners. We try to com- 
plete their picture by combining every circumstance of dress 
or personal peculiarity— and even those particulars which 
can have no bearing upon the character of their temper or 
their genius, all deserve a careful preservation ; for like the 
buttons and collar of a painted portrait, they are important 
to perfect the picture, though they form no part of the like- 
ness. 

When we strive to recollect a great man, seen in former 
years, perhaps the most frivolous particular may first present 
itself; and the fashion or colour of a coat may be remembered, 
while we are unable to recall any trace of his features or a 
single tone of his voice. Yet imperfect as is our reminiscence, 
we value it. Let us not then despise as frivolous the anti- 
quarian research which has been able to present us with a 
description of Charles V. in his furred cap and gown of black 
taffety, drinking a quart of Rhenish wine at a draught; or of 



4 PRIVALE LIFE 

Hobbes smoking ten pipes at a sitting, while composing his 
Leviathan : let us not disregard the account of the great 
Frederick's little greyhonnd, which he carried with him even 
to battle ; or refuse to listen to Brantome, while he describes 
the table of the Chancellor I'Hospital, served daily, as he tells 
us, with a single dish of boiled meat. All these things may 
be of no importance in themselves ; yet while matters of more 
moment might escape us, these may perhaps attach them- 
selves to our memory and in some way serve to bind together 
and sustain our recollections of greater things, just as the 
twisting tendrils of the vine serve to support the long branches 
and luscious clusters of the grape. 

Yet even particulars like these have sometimes an intrin- 
sic interest and importance when they relate to those whom 
we regard as great teachers of philosophy and morals. When 
we find that Aristotle was magnificent in his dress, and that 
his fingers wert; covered with costly gems — or when we learn 
that Epicurus was contented with the simplest fare, " la?tus 
plantaribus exigui horti," we have an opportunity of judging 
how far the principles which they have given to others as the 
rules of life, have governed the minds from which tliey ema- 
nated. But without selecting as an instance, one whose va- 
nity resisted the empire of his reason — or him who with a 
cold temperament lived purely in spite of the principles of a 
libertine, even in those cases where the practice of morality 
has been guided by their declared precepts of virtue — the 
particulars of private life are worthy of investigation, that we 
may learn the author's application of his own maxims, and 
how far in his practice he could relax the rigour of his own 
laws of life. 

These considerations will perhaps give interest to the pic- 
ture I shall now attempt to sketch of the Private Life of Wil- 
liam Pe?in. Not only as a distinguished writer on Theology 
and an eloquent teacher of morals, and as one of the Patri- 
archs of a peculiar sect, (separating itself from others on 



OF WILLIAM PENN. 



grounds of stricter morality, condemning the vices and vani- 
ties of the world, avoiding most of its pleasures, and claiming 
for themselves the character of followers of Christ in primi- 
tive simplicity, humility, and purity,) is it interesting and im- 
portant to know how far he tolerated and practised the cus- 
toms of the world, and w^hat interpretation he put by his own 
conduct on the rules of discipline of his Society. But, as the 
great lawgiver and advocate of our liberties — as the friend of 
our ancestors, and their conductor to these shores — his man- 
ner of life and personal habits — his public carriage as proprie- 
tary, and private demeanour as a gentleman, are surely wor- 
thy of our curiosity. And although I can amuse you with 
but few traits of personal peculiarity or of intellectual excen- 
tricity, I congratulate myself, that, laying aside all considera- 
tion of him as a patriot, a lawgiver, or an author, and direct- 
ing your attention to the retreats of his domestic life, I shall 
be able to offer such a picture of gentleness, benevolence, and 
urbanity ; such perfect consistency of generosity and good- 
ness, that you may all experience, as I have done, a pleasure 
similar to that of the naturalist, who, tearing off the petals of 
a beautiful flower, finds the inmost structure of its core more 
curiously fashioned, more exquisitely delicate than the exter- 
nal tints and graceful form which had at first delighted him. 

The pages which I shall read to you on this occasion con- 
tain the results of an examination, made some time since, of 
the original cash book of William Penn, and his letters of bu- 
siness to his agents in Pennsylvania. The extracts then made, 
together with a few anecdotes and traditions preserved else- 
where, I have endeavoured to weave into a connected ac- 
count of the Private Life and Domestic Habits of the Founder 
of our State and City. 

My narrative may be tedious; my incidents common-place; 
my particulars trivial; but anecdotes are not be extracted 
from a cash book — and letters to a steward afford few traits 
of character. So barren were the fields I had undertaken to 



6 PRIVATE LIFE 

reap, that I resolved to collect the whole scanty product and 
leave nothing for the gleaning of future antiquaries — trusting 
that all true Pennsylvanians would pardon my laborious mi- 
nuteness. If writers of travels have thought proper to de- 
scribe the stockings of Queen Elizabeth, preserved at Hat- 
field, and the night-cap of Voltaire at Ferney, may I not ven- 
ture to tell you what were the dress, furniture, and equipage 
of a man, at least as worthy of immortality ? 



When William Penn returned from France, in August, 
1G64, he is represented by Pepys as "a most modish person 
grown, quite a fine gentleman :" This intimates what we 
have confirmation of elsewhere, that he had acquired at the 
court of Louis XIV. all the external graces for which the so- 
ciety of Paris was at that time celebrated: and although at 
a date three years subsequent, we find in the same diary that 
" Mr. William Penn, who is lately come over from Ireland, is a 
Quaker again, or some very melancholy thing, that he cares 
for no company nor comes into any, which is a pleasant thing 
after his being abroad so long :" yet it is impossible to be- 
lieve that the effects of his fashionable education were alto- 
gether lost. The best results of dancing and fencing are that 
the first gives an easy graceful air ; the latter a noble manly 
carriage of the body : and the most important precepts of the 
education of society are those which teach us to consider the 
feelings and yield to the prejudices of others in small matters 
■ — to correct offensive habits, and to suppress obnoxious opi- 
nions. These little matters are often disregarded by stern 
religionists, and they thus earn odium for themselves and their 
profession. Perhaps we should never hear the taunt of Puri- 
tanism, if they all had the urbanity, the easy grace of man- 
ner which we have reason to think distinguished William 
Penn, who, as he says of himself, "knew no religion that de- 



OF WILLIAM PENN. 7 

stroys courtesy, civility, and kindness, which rightly under- 
stood are great indications of true men, if not of good Chris- 
tians." 

At the time when was painted the Portrait, presented to 
our Society by his grandson, William Penn was a finished 
gentleman, with the solid advantages of education embellished 
by all the accomplishments of the age. His appearance was 
eminently handsome ; the expression of his countenance re- 
markably pleasing and sweet ; his eye dark and lively, and 
his hair flowing gracefully over his shoulders, according to the 
fashion set by the worthless though fascinating Charles the 
Second. Hov^^ far he adopted the frivolities of the English 
Court, or how long he joined in its dissipations, we do not exactly 
know : but we cannot doubt that his principles were shocked 
and his good taste disgusted by the profanity and indecency, 
the heartless levity, the dishonest prodigality, and the awful 
profligacy which have gained eternal infamy for that mo- 
narch and his courtiers. No one can believe that William 
Penn was their companion in their vices; we cannot even 
think of him in " a jackanape's coat with silver buttons,"* or 
changing his suit from velvet to cloth, from silk to camlet, 
with the monthly variation of the mode, or dangling at the 
toilet of " Mistress Nelly," or paying court to the still more 
infamous Castlemaine. Yet did he associate with the nobility 
of England, frequent the court, and was on terms of easy fa- 
miliarity with the gayest and wittiest of the times : And al- 
though, after his final profession of Quakerism, he withdrew 
from the brilliant circles of London and associated chiefly 
with the humble and despised sect whose principles he had 
embraced, though he renounced the vanities and frivolous fa- 
shions of the day, and declined the usages which he deemed 
unworthy of his sense and Christianity ; though he thereby 
astonished his friends and seriously offended his father, and 

* Pepys' Diary, which see for the costume of the times. 



PRIVATE LIFE 



at the same time not only refused the offers of royal favour 
and patronage, but suffered repeated imprisonments rather 
than yield a point of conscience : yet it is remarkable that 
we do not find he forfeited the respect or even incurred the 
ridicule of his old friends and companions. Whenever he ap- 
peared at court, either in the cause of his own Society or to 
solicit toleration or pardon for others, he was always received 
with kindness and even affection, whether he applied to the 
bigoted James, or the dissolute and witty Buckingham, or the 
corrupt Sunderland, or the crafty Halifax. And when, after 
receiving the grant of Pennsylvania, his solicitude for the af- 
fairs of the colony, as well as the interests of his religious sect, 
induced him to reside constantly in London or its vicinity, we 
do not find that he incurred neglect or satire, though at a 
time when singularity in apparel, sour austerity and formal 
sobriety were the favourite themes of daily epigrams. When 
paying his court at Whitehall, or following the merry mo- 
narch to the races at Newmarket, or accompanying his suc- 
cessor on his tour through England ; when surrounded by such 
men as Rochester and Killigrew, Etheredge and Jermyn, a 
stiff carriage and a stern countenance would not only have 
been misplaced, but fatal to the objects of his pursuit. The 
truth is, that William Penn was as courteous and tolerant as 
he was honest and virtuous ; that he vvas neither affectedly 
plain in apparel, nor sanctimonious in demeanour : while his 
pure morality and noble love of liberty inspired the respect 
of the servile and dissolute, even their favour was secured 
by his cheerful good-humour and his temperate wit. 

That his conversation was distinguished for vivacity and 
humour we have the report of tradition, confirmed by the opi- 
nion of the greatest wit of the age. Dean Swift, who says 
" that he talked very agreeably and with great spirit." And 
by another contemporary testimony still more remarkable, 
that of " Friends of Reading Meeting " who inform us that he 
was " facetious in conversation ;" and it was one of his own 



OF WILLIAM PENN. 9 

maxims " that wit gives an edge to sense and recommends it 
extremely." We are thus assured that he was not only 
" grave with the wise," but " with the witty gay :" And 
though he never imitated the licentious jesters of the times, 
we cannot doubt that he was often called upon to exercise his 
humour at the court of Charles and James, either in self-de- 
fence or in the honest hope of making vice ridiculous. 

So little did he obtrude on the notice of others his religious pe- 
culiarities, that he was by many believed to be a member of the 
society of Jesus, the most accomplished order in the Catholic 
church, and so scrupulously did he avoid offence, that he rare 
ly made use of " thee and thou," if it w'as possible to form his 
sentences without them : and it is curious to observe in his let- 
ters to persons of high rank or station how gracefully he 
escapes the use of these familiar and uncourtly pronouns, 
speaking to his correspondent either in the third person or by 
his title. If he refused to put off his hat as a token of respect, 
I may remark, that it was by no means so unusual to wear 
it in company as it is now. Pepys complains of " a simple 
fellow" of a preacher who "exclaimed against wearing of 
hats in church ;" and, speaking of the French service at the 
Savoy, says, " I never before saw the minister preach with 
his hat off." After dining in company, he says, " I got a 
strange cold in my head by flinging my hat off at dinner," 
and in Lord Clarendon's Essay on the Decay of Respect for 
Old Age, he states, " that in his younger days he never kept 
his hat on before those older than himself, except at dinner." 

If William Penn gave no offence in these particulars, I do 
not doubt he also avoided ridicule in the style of his personal 
attire. His own maxim on the subject addressed to his children 
is, " choose thy clothes by thine own eyes, not another's — the 
more plain and simple they are, the better — neither unshapely 
nor fa?itastical, for use and decency and not for pride." With 
such opinions, we may be sure his garments were never un- 
couth. Of his style of dress, we have no other account than 

2 



10 PRIVATE LIFE 

the tradition recorded by Clarkson, that it was very neat and 
plain ; but if the costume of the statue before the Pennsylvania 
hospital be such as he ever wore, (which is highly probable, 
towards the end of his life,) it is certainly far from inelegant, 
and proves that he must have changed the cut of his coat 
when the variation of fashion became striking, for such a dress 
as that was not worn till the time of Queen Anne. While the 
Puritans were preaching against the use of buckles and wigs — 
the latter a ridiculous superfluity, if any thing be so — William 
Penn made use of both, as we learn by his cash book : and al- 
though it is not probable that, like his contemporary, Sir 
Richard Steele, he ever spent 40 guineas in a periwig : — yet, 
even when in Pennsylvania, he purchased four in one year, 
at the cost of nearly four pounds each, and as two of these, 
at least, came from England, and a third was made at New- 
castle, we are to conclude that no perruquier had as yet estab- 
lished himself at Philadelphia. Though we find in the same 
cash book frequent entries of monies paid to Charles Black- 
burn Taylor, no doubt the first in his line at Philadelphia, 
we have unfortunately no description of the garments thus 
charged, nor any other articles of dress specified, except a 
pair of stockings for the Governor at eight shillings, and a pair 
of gambadoes (a kind of leathern overalls for riding or shooting) 
which cost £l. 2sh. and frequent notice of the dressing of the 
Governor's hats — of which three at one time, were in the hat- 
ter's hands to be furbished up;* and on the whole, while I am 

* We have no better means of judging of tlie style of dress of Hannah Penn 
and Lsetitia, then a ghl of about 18 ; but we find in the said cash book fre- 
quent notice of bills paid for them, as for instance, " By expenses paid 
Esther Masters, for making frocks, 14 shillings. By ditto paid Sarah 
Thomson for making caps, £1. 4s. 6d. By L?etitia, paid Francis Richard- 
son, for a pair of buckles, £2. By ditto paid D. Vaughan, watchmaker, for 
mending Lsetitia's watch, 4s. By expenses paid Cjesar Ghiselin, the gold- 
smith's note, £1. 14s. By expenses paid Johan Nys, goldsmith, his note, 
£2. 10s. What article of jewelry, William Penn permitted his wife or 
daughter to wear is not mentioned, but, that ornaments of gold were not 



OF WILLIAM PEN\. 11 

far from suspecting him of foppishness, I should be mucli 
more ready to acquit him of the " affectatas sordes," than to 
deny for him the " exquisitge munditige." While on the subject 
of his wigs and hats, I may state, that after he left America, in 
1684 he presented his stock of the former to his deputy 
Thomas Lloyd, and that English beavers were a common 
token from him to his friends in this country. On one occa- 
sion he presents a hat to Edward Shippen, the first mayor of 
this city, " which has," he observes, "the true mayoral brim :" 
by which it seems he was willing that the hat, while on the 
head, might indicate dignity of station, however much op- 
posed to making the taking of it off a sign of respect. 

It is related of William Penn, that when his great friend 
King James asked him to explain the difference between 
their religions, the Roman Catholic and that of the Quakers, 
he answered by comparing the one to the hat then worn by 
himself, which was plain ; the other to that of the King, 
which was adorned with feathers and ribands. " The only 
difference," said he, " lies in the ornaments which have been 
added to thine." Though this anecdote is well worth quoting 
to show the enlarged spirit of Christian charity which sug- 
gested such an illustration, it is now only repeated to prove 
that William Penn was not, at that period at least, out of the 
fashion in the shape of his hat — an article in which fashions 
were so changeable among Christians — that an author of 
those times* tells us that the Turks used to curse each other 
with the wish " may thou be as variable as a Christian's hat." 
— If it were inquired what was the form then in vogue, it 
would, I think, be found that the beavers then most common 
in die purlieus of the palace had low crowns and broad brims, 
very much turned up and curled at the sides — shovel-shaped 

altogether forbidden by the Quakers of those times, we may judg-e from the 
circumstance, that James Logan wrote to England, for "a fine gold chain 
for his wife, such as young girls use to wear." 
• Evelvn. 



12 PRIVATE LIFK 

perhaps on graver characters — on men of ton, cocked high or 
low according to the variations of their humour, or to indi- 
cate, as patches did in later times, the pohtical divisions of 
th(!ir wearers. 

I may remark, while on the subject of the dress of William 
Penn, that Mr. West, and I believe all other painters who 
have introduced the early Quakers into their pictures, are 
chargeable with great mistakes, in the costumes they have 
selected for them; in many instances, giving them hats and 
coats of a form not even invented for half a century after 
the date of the scene they have wished to represent upon 
their canvas ; and in the celebrated Picture of the Treaty 
under the Elm, our Pennsylvania Painter, besides his unpar- 
donable misconception, in representing the graceful and ath- 
letic Penn, at the age of 38, as a fat old man, of a very ordi- 
nary appearance ; has put him and his companions in dresses 
which, if they ever wore at all, they certainly did not till 
nearly 30 years after the settlement of Pennsylvania. 

It seems probable, that Mr. West represented in his pic- 
ture from recollection the appearance of his own father, and 
the old Quakers he had known in his youth, without stopping 
to inquire or even think whether they had preserved un- 
changed the costume of their grandfathers, the first colo- 
nists.* 

*T)ie true costume for the picture would have been that in vogue towards 
the end of the reign of Charles H. This (as near as I can ascertain) was 
a collarless coat, perfectly straight in front with many buttons — sliowing no 
waist, nor cut into skirts, having only a short buttoned slit behind; the sleeves 
hardly descending below the elbow, and having large cuff's, showing tlie full 
shirt sleeves. The vest was as long as the coat, and, except as to the sleeves, 
made apparently in the same way. Tlie breeches were veiy full, open at 
the sides, and tied with strings. About the hats, I have less certainty, as 
these varied three or four times in tliis reign, as Butler says, 
Being first high-crowned, like pyramids, 

And next as flat as pipkin lids, 

Sometimes with broad brims like umbrellas. 

And then as narrow as punchinellas, 



OF WILLIAiM PEXy. 13 

The Quakers have certainly never run after fashion, but 
while they disregarded all its minor aberrations, they seem to 
have followed it at a distance in many of its great changes 
and revolutions — and I think it would not be difficult to prove 
that from the days of George Fox, to the middle of the 18th 
century, every prominent and continued variation in the 
shape of hats and coats, could be traced in some correspond- 
ing alterations in the costume of the society : these varia- 
tions are surely as consistent with the modesty and plain- 
ness which they aimed at as they were with good taste, and 
though their rules forbade gaudy attire and useless orna- 
ments, I have never heard that they prescribed uniformity 
or the perpetuity of any particular costume. 

I have detained you with these observations, that I might 
put on record a fact, which may hereafter be useful to our 
own society or any of its members, who may have occasion 
to direct the painting of an historical picture, in which the 
founder of our province or the early settlers are to be intro- 
duced. It is to be hoped that a blunder which detracts so 
much from the value of West's Picture of the Treaty, and 
from that of the portrait in the apartment beneath us, may 
never again be committed. 

But to return to William Penn, and to speak next of his 
horses and equipage. What style he maintained in Eng- 
land I know not, but we may judge it was at least equal 
to his stable establishment in Pennsylvania. Here he had 
his coach, a cumbrous vehicle no doubt, and little used ex- 
cept in Philadelphia and its neighbourhood, in consequence 
of the badness of the roads, which even to Pcnnsbury were 
nearly impassable but for horsemen. A calash probably re- 
ferred to by a contemporary pamphleteer as a " rattling lea- 
thern conveniency," in which he drove about from one country 
meeting to another, and a sedan chair, which Hannah Penn 
might have used on her more sociable gossipping visits among 
her friends in the city. 



14 PRIVATE LIFE 

When he travelled either to New York, or to the Sus- 
quehannah, and visited the Proprietor of Maryland, on the 
confines of their territories, it was on horseback — and as I 
find in the inventory of goods at Pennsbury three side saddles 
mentioned, his wife and daughter Lgetitia were doubtless 
often the companions of his rides. When they met the Lord 
and Lady Baltimore, they were followed by a large caval- 
cade, and several of the chief men of the colony accom- 
panied the Proprietor on his visit to the Indian Sachems on 
the Susquehannah; where, according to Isaac Norris, "after 
a roundabout journey, in which they had pretty well tra- 
velled the wilderness, they hved nobly at the king's palace at 
G)nestogoe." 

During his first visit to this country, William Penn general- 
ly rode a large white horse; but he had also a "ball nagg," 
which he probably used at Pennsbury when overlooking the 
improvements of his farm : he often inquires about them in 
his letters to James Harrison, and directs especial care to be 
taken, that they should not be injured in his absence. Like 
all English gentlemen, he was fond of horses, and desirous 
to introduce the best stock into America. We find he had, at 
his first visit, three blood mares ; and he promises his steward 
to bring more on his return, as well as a fine horse ; the latter 
promise at least he fulfilled in 1700, by importing the horse 
Tamerlane, probably of Arabian blood, and perhaps a colt of 
the great Godolphin Barb, to which the most celebrated 
horses in England trace their origin. If he had no other 
opportunities of becoming acquainted with horses, his sojourn 
with the Court at New-markct, must have given him some 
skill, which he could turn to good account, in providing his 
colony with the finest stock of those noble animals. 

But his favourite mode of travelling, seems to have been 
by water. A taste inspired, perhaps, by his father the Ad- 
miral, or acquired at Oxford, where the students of Christ 
Church have been for ages, celebrated as oarsmen, may ac- 



OF WILLIAM PKNN. 15 

count for his extraordinary solicitude about his yacht and 
barge; of which latter, he thus speaks to his steward: "But 
above all dead things, rny barge, I hope no body uses it on 
any account, and that she is kept in a dry dock, or at least 
covered from the weather." This barge, or the one that 
replaced it in 1700, must have been a vessel of some state- 
liness, if we may judge by the sums which appear from the 
cash book to have been spent upon it, of which I may in- 
stance the charge of William Corker for painting it, 3/. 10s. 
It had its regular officers and crew, of whom George Mark- 
ham, was boatswain, and Michael Larzillier, cockswain, re- 
ceiving their wages as such, and required, I infer, six oars. It 
appears to have been provided with a sail and awnings, and 
though there is no mention of a flag, it is not unlikely that 
he spread a broad pennant with the Proprietary's arms, which 
he was not unwilling to display in all his public acts. This 
barge was preserved with great care, after Willliam Penn's 
last departure. James Logan had a house built over it, for 
its protection, and it was not used until the arrival of young 
William Penn, except on the occasion of Lord Cornbury's 
visit to Philadelphia. 

We also find mention of several smaller boats, at Penns- 
bury, in which, on shorter excursions for exercise or pleasure, 
he may have been used, 

"To spread the tliln oar, or catch the driving' gale." 

or to scull along the banks of the Delaware, with his gun or 
angle. That he was not averse from fishing, and fowling, 
we know by the mention in the cash book of " the repair of 
the governor's gun," and by his request to James Logan, to 
give his son occasional amusement in the woods, and upon 
the waters ; and, that the field sports which he enjoyed in his 
youth were not condemned in his more advanced age, we 
may infer from his particular directions, that his son's stag and 
fox hounds should be well taken care of " If says he," my 



16 PRIVATE LIFE 

son sends hounds, as he has provided two or three couples of 
choice ones, for deer, foxes and wolves, pray let great care 
be taken of them, and let I. Sotcher, quarter them about as 
with young Biles, &c," And why may we not suppose, that 
William Penn, occasionally partook of " the heart cheering 
pleasures of the field ?" Why may we not, picture him to 
ourselves, like his virtuous contemporary, Isaac Walton, re- 
laxing from the cares of public business ,- 

•' And haply on some river's cooling bank, 
Patiently musing;, wiiile intent he stands. 
To hook the scaly glutton ?" 

With his family he had occasionally other recreations; in 
attending a fair, or an Indian Cantico; of both of which the cash 
book gives evidence, such as these. By my mistress, at the 
fair, 21. Os. 8d. By expenses given to Hannah Carpenter, for a 
fairing, 8s. By ditto to two children for comfits, pr. order, 
Is. Gd. By the Governor going to a Cantico, 1/. 18s. 4d. We 
have frequent mention of his visits to the Indians, which gave 
him an opportunity to study their character; and he con- 
ciliated their favour, by partaking of their feasts, and wit- 
nessing their dances. A respectable old lady, the grand- 
mother of Samuel Preston, related, that in his desire to gain 
the good will of the Aborigines, " he walked with them, sat 
with them on the ground, and ate with them, their roasted 
acorns and hominy. At this, they expressed their great de- 
h'ght, and soon began to show, how they could hop, and jump ; 
at which exhibition William Penn, to cap the climax, sprang 
up and beat them all." I should be loath to doubt the accu- 
racy of the old lady's memory, for is it not a delightful 
thought, that our good founder so grave and dignified, on 
solemn occasions, in the playful joyousness of a good heart, 
could thus o'erstep the bounds of ceremony, lay aside his 
gravity, and join heartily in the innocent sports of the kind 
and peaceful Lenne-Lennape 1 



OF WILLIAM PENN. 17 

On public occasions William Penn "was not unwilling to 
use all the ceremony suitable in a place, where as yet 

" Pride there was not, nor arts that pride to aid. " 

He was well aware that, by the ignorant, respect is more rea- 
dily paid to the law, and to the officers who administer it, if 
surroiuided by a certain dignity and solemnity of forms. We 
are, therefore, not surprised to find in a scurrilous pamphlet, of 
the day before quoted,* that the "Proprietor's Corps de Garde 
generally consists of seven or eight of his chief magistrates, 
both ecclesiastical and civil, which always attend him, and 
sometimes more, when he perambulates the city: one bare- 
headed, with a long wand over his shoulders, in imitation of 
the Lord Marshal of England, marches gradually before him 
and his train, and sometimes proclamation is made to clear 
the way." And if we make some allowance for probable ex- 
aggeration, we may understand by it, that when the Proprie- 
tor went to open the Assembl}^ or to hold the High Court of 
the Provincial Council, he was preceded by the members of 
that body and the sheritl and peace officers of Philadelphia, 
with their staves of office. We find, also, in the same pamph- 
let, that " there are certain days appointed for audience, and 
as for the rest, you may keep your distajice." And again- 
*' The gate of his house, or palace, is always guarded by a 
Janisary, armed with a club of near ten foot long, crowned 
with a large silver head, embossed and chased as a hierogly 
phic of the master's pride ;" all of which is susceptible of a 
similar interpretation, — for, if for convenience sake, he had 
his days and hours of business appointed ; or if, while the 
council was in session, an officer guarded his door, or a por- 
ter held his station there, with a tall silver-headed cane, such 

• "News frox Pensilvaxta, or a brief Narrative of several remarkable 
passages in the Government of the Quakers," &c. — London, 56 pp. 12mo. 
1703. "Published by the author of the Pilgrim's Progress" — (said to t> 
written by Francis Bugg.) 

3 



18 PRIVATE LIFE 

as even now are seen in Europe, the exaggeration does not 
seem a very extraordinary one in a writer anxious to bring 
odium on the government of the Quakers. But lest this tes- 
timony should be esteemed suspicious, I will confirm it by the 
best of evidence, that of William Penn himself. In a note 
written at Pennsbury, in July, 1700, he gives directions to 
James Logan to prepare for the arrival of Governors Nichol- 
son and Blackiston of Virginia and Maryland, and requests 
him to write a circular to the officers of the difierent coun- 
ties, directing the sherifls to receive their Excellencies in state, 
with a party of twenty horsemen at least, on the borders of 
each county, and to accompany them through it to meet those 
of the next ; and requiring all the magistrates of each place 
to wait on them — some to ride out, and others to receive them 
on alighting, and to lodge them and their servants at their 
private houses: And still further to show the respect which 
even the Quakers of those days were disposed to pay to rank 
and station, I will quote from a letter of James Logan to the 
Proprietor, an account of Lord Cornbury's reception in Phila- 
delphia, in June, 1702. "He (Lord Cornbury, then at Bur- 
lington,) expressed a willingness to give our Province a visit, 
and therefore had an invitation on Second Day morning. 1 
hastened down to make provision, and in a few hours' time 
had a very handsome dinner, really equal, they say, to any 
thing he had seen in America.* At night he was invited to 
Edward Shippen's, where he lodged and dined to-day with all 
his company, near thirty in number. He has just now gone 
otf in the barge very handsomely attended, expressing a great 
satisfaction in the place and the decency of his entertainment 
in all its parts." 

Lord Cornbury, on his way back to New York, paid a visit 
to Pennsbury. James Logan writes, " he was attended all 
the way with four boats besides his own, and about ten in 

* The cash book informs us that this dinner cost £10 Is. 8d. 



OF WILLIAM PENN. 19 

the morning arrived there with fifty in company. With Ma- 
ry's great diligence, and all our care, we got ready a hand- 
some country entertainment, which, though much inferior to 
those at Philadelphia for cost, &c., yet, for the decency and 
good order, gave no less satisfaction, which he expressed at 
his departure to the highest degree, promising to acknowledge 
it particularly to thee." Such was the deference in those 
days shown to rank and station, even in a community of Qua- 
kers. 

But to return to my subject. No one can doubt the plea- 
sure of William Penn in the exercise of hospitality : and we 
find that he frequently entertained at Pennsbury, not only all 
the distinguished strangers who visited Pennsylvania, but most 
of the chief families of the province. Though his house was 
handsomely furnished, and his table plentifully spread, he 
permitted no extravagance in either — for it was his maxim 
that " it destroys hospitality, and wrongs the poor." His pas- 
tures, his gardens, and the woods and waters around him, af- 
forded him plenty, and of the best provisions, which, as the 
catalogue of his " batterie de cusine"* proves, must have been 
simply dressed; and his cook, Ann Nichols, could have been 
little learned in the " Book of Cookery, which," as her mas- 
ter says, " hath outgrown the Bible, and, I fear, is read of- 
tener — to be sure it is of more use."t His residence in Paris 
had not inspired him with a taste for the exquisite produc- 



* It includes a Dog-wheel. 

f There is a book of Cookery (printed in 1682,) in the Library of the 
American Philosophical Society, entitled, I believe, "Ministers of the mouth." 
This might throw some curious light upon the manners and habits of the 
times. Will no one undertake to write a history of cookery, giving us a cata- 
logue raisonne of all the works on the subject, from that of Apicius to Udes, 
with an account of all tlie distinguislilng dishes of eacli age? The IJomans, 
in some respects, certainly had the advantage of us, having- established 
schools, not only for cooks but for carvers, where jointed models of every 
dish gave almost surgical skill to the accomplished sewer. 



20 PRIVATE LIFE 

tions of the French culinary art, as we may infer from the 
following extracts from his maxims : " The sauce is now pre- 
ferred before the meat ; twelve pennyworths of flesh, with 
five shillings of cookery, may happen to make a fashionable 
dish ; plain beef and mutton is become dull food ; but by the 
time its natural relish is lost in the crowd of cook's ingre- 
dients, and the meat sufficiently disguised to the eaters, it 
passes under a French name for a rare dish." Yet he was 
not insensible of the simple luxuries of the country, as ap- 
pears by the following extract from a letter to his steward : 
" Pray send us some two or three smoaked haunches of veni- 
son and pork — get them of the Swedes : also some smoaked 
shadds and beef — the old Priest at Philadelphia had rare 
shadds." 

The cash book proves that the cellar at Pennsbury was 
well supplied with beer, cider, and wine, of which, the kinds 
mentioned, are Sherry, (then called sack,) Madeira, Canary, 
and Claret. His own maxim, tiiat strong liquors are good at 
some times, and in small proportions, " being better for phy- 
sic, than food, for cordials, than for common use," was con- 
firmed by his practice, — for we find little mention in the cash 
book, of brandy or rum, except when expressly designed for 
the entertainment of the Indians: and the tradition of the 
Proprietor's aversion to tobacco is confirmed, bv the cash 
book having only one entry of its purchase, and then to the 
amount often pence. Notwithstanding (he copious supply of 
fuel from the woods, Wiiliam Penn, at least on one occasion, 
purchased Eiiglib.h coal at forty shillings per ton. And the 
repeated mention of Irish and Rhode Island butler, proves 
that our market had not then acquired its reputation for that 
delicious article. Tea, coffee, and chocolate, though at the 
beginning of the last century very common beverages in Eng- 
land, were not much in use in Pennsylvania. The family of 
the Proprietary were occasionally obliged to send to New 
York, by the postman, for coffee; and on one occasion paid 



OF WILLIAM PENV. 21 

I8s. 9d. for a pound of the berry. Chocolate was several 
times procured at Philadelphia — but I do not find that any 
tea was purchased for the family, although, as a teapot is 
mentioned in the catalogue of goods at Pennsbury, they had, 
it is probable, brought with them a supply. It appears not 
to have been for sale in Philadelphia during the first years 
of the century, though it was occasionally sent here f«^Eng- 
land in small quantities by William Penn as presents to his 
friends, and particularly James Logan, who also writes to 
England for a supply, and, as he says, had become a great 
drinker of it as early as 1703. 

In examining the inventory of the Proprietor's effects at 
Pennsbury and Philadelphia, I find that his table furniture 
was of a very handsome description. It includes a great num- 
ber of damask table cloths and napkins; a "suite of Tun- 
bridge ware," besides blue and white china, and a supply of 
silver which even now would be considered remarkable, in 
which even eight silver forks are mentioned, a refinement at 
that time little known in England, though common in Italy 
from the age of the Medici.* I would not, however, repre- 
sent that William Penn brought with him to this country a 
service of plate : That would have been, indeed, incongruous 
with his professions, his position, and his fortune. Dishes and 
plates, not of silver, but of pewter, were spread on the table 
of the Proprietor. The rest of the furniture of the two houses 
was all that comfort required. Mahogany was not then 
known, and the spider tables, and high-backed carved chairs 
were then of solid oak, or of the darker walnut. 

Ilia domi nutas nostraque ex arbore mensas 
Tempora viderunt. 

He had one set of Turkey worked chairs, arm-chairs, and 
couches with cushions of plush and satin : and in the second 
parlour a great leathern chair, no doubt the Proprietor's fa- 

* See Ben Jonson, in one of wliose plays a travelled exquisite of the days 
of Elizabeth, is ridiculed for introducing', from Ital}', the use of silver forks. 



22 PRIVATE LIFE 

vourite seat. Why was it not transmitted to our times, or at 
least the fashion of it? The great leathern chair of Voltaire 
is now imitated all over the world. What a zest it would 
add to our comforts if, while reposins; in an easy well stuffed 
chair, we knew we were following a fashion invented, or ap- 
proved hy the Founder of our State? 

CufrJidns of satin, or damask, or camlet, or striped linen, 
were hung in each room, according to its dignity. I find, also, 
mention of a carpet in one apartment, but it appears rather 
to have been the covering of a table than a floor ; indeed at 
that period it was a luxury little known in Europe; and at 
the present day, on the continent, is not universal, even in the 
palaces of princes. 

These particulars, which would otherwise be frivolous and 
tedious, are mentioned to prove that while William Penn and 
the contemporary writers of his sect declaim against " inex- 
cusable superfluities," and "unprofitable things of state," they 
did not mean to denounce the liberal expenses of a gentle- 
man, such as became his fortune and contributed to comforts, 
not to enervating luxury. He had heard of the apartments 
o{ the kings and mistresses at Whitehall, where all the fur- 
niture, even to the tables and bedsteads, were of curiously 
wrought and massive silver.* He had seen, as he says, " a 
ceiling of a room which cost half as much as the house." — 
He had seen the national wealth squandered, the monarch 
only supporting his extravagance by the bribes of France. 
He had witnessed the private estates of honourable families 
ruined, in their efforts to vie with the splendours of the court; 
and both public and private honour sacrificed in this shameful 
career of profligacy and expense. It was by this scene that 

* Vide Pepys' Diary for a description of Castlemaine's chamber. In an 
apartment at Knowle, in Kent, the ancient seat of the Dukes of Dorset, the 
silver furniture of the time of Charles II. is still preserved. The tables, bed- 
steads, wardrobes, frames of glasses and pictures, &c. are covered with ex- 
quisitely wrought silver representing' animals, mythological figiu-es, &c. in 
hi^h relief. 



OF WILLIAM PE.ViV. 23 

his good sense and principles were shocked ; it was at these 
vices that his denunciations were aimed ; but his whole life 
shows that he was willing to spend his income liberally in the 
support of his station as a gentleman, and his state as Pro- 
prietor of Pennsylvania. He knew that the only true use of 
wealth is, to spend it : and though nothing should be wasted, 
he wished to "join with economy munificence;" and he only 
admits ^^ that frugality is good, if liberality be joined with it.^* 

Of his liberality and charity, his cash book bears the most 
gratifying evidence. His daily movements may be traced by 
some act of benevolence recorded there. Excited by gene- 
rosity, or softened by pity, he thought not of his own neces- 
sities ; he measured not his income. Among his own beauti- 
ful maxims we find, " The saying is, that he who gives to the 
poor lends to the Lord : but it may be said not improperly, 
the Lord lends to us to give to the poor : They are at least 
partners by Providence with you, and have a right you must 
not defraud them of." How satisfactory is it after reading 
this to turn to the record of his daily expenses, and find, on 
every page, some such entry as these : " By charity given to 
a poor sailor in prison, per order, 15^. By expenses given a 
poor negro, per order, 2^. Nor were his gifts limited to sums 
like these. In cases of sickness or peculiar distress, two or 
three pounds, and even larger sums, are ordered to be given. 
There were several poor old persons who seem to have been 
regular pensioners, receiving their 50 shillings a quarter, or 
their 6 shillings per fortnight. The poor dependants on his 
bounty were never forgotten. In his letters from England, in 
the midst of his complaints of the Assembly's niggardliness, 
he breaks off with such hints as these to his secretary, James 
Logan : " Pray remember poor Charles Jones' family in that 
farm, in the midst of other affairs." " Be kind to poor Lucy 
and the Dutchman." I will add but one instance of his cha- 
rity, and it is a striking one. We are told by Thomas Story, 
that when the Proprietor arrived at Chester, on his return 
from England, some foolish young men wishing to testify their 



24 PRIVATE LIFE 

joy, by firing off an old cannon which had no doubt remained 
there from the time of the Swedish government — the piece 
burst, and one of them lost his arm. His name is not men- 
tioned — but, on turning to the cash book, we find in January 
this entry : " By expenses to B. Bevan, of Chester, who lost 
his arm, IO5. 8of." But the poor lad was careless of his wound, 
or unfortunate in his surgeon. Again and again we find him 
noticed in the cash book, and at last, on April 20th, we see 
these melancholy items entered in succession : — By expenses 
for a woman watching with B. Bevan, Gs. By ditto to the 
grave digger, 3^. and 4c/. By ditto to F. Jervais, in part of 
B. Bevan's charges, £2. 10s. We cannot doubt the grief of 
our Proprietor at an event so sad, springing from the very 
joy and gladness diffused by his return to his people. 

His letters mention many poor, but respectable individu- 
a^s sent by him to this country, and here supported partly, or 
entirely by him, until their own industry could secure them 
a respectable livelihood, and his own conduct fully exempli- 
fies his beautiful definition of liberality. " She finds out vir- 
tue in a low degree, and exalts it. She eases their burden, 
that labour hard to live. Many kind and generous spells 
such find at her hand (hat don't quite want, that she thinks 
worthy. The decayed are sure to hear of her. She takes 
one child, and puts out another, to lighten the loads of over- 
charged parents. More to the fatherless. She shows the 
value of services in her rewards, and is never debtor to kind- 
nesses, but will be creditor on all accounts; where another 
gives sixpence, the liberal man gives his shilling, and returns 
double the tokens he receives." 

He was particularly generous to the servants of his friends, 
when they brought from them a present of a deer, or a sheep, 
or a box of oranges, they never left his door, without half a 
crown for their trouble, and when he lodged at the houses of 
others, his presents to their children, and vails to their ser- 
vants, would have done credit to a richer man. After passing 
some time at Edward Shippens, he directed his Secretary to 



OF WILLIAM PENN. 25 

divide among four of the servants, £2. 12s. 8d., no incon- 
siderable sum in those times; and, upon his arrival in the Can- 
terbury from England, he distributed among the ship's com- 
pany nearly six pounds, a handsome sum even in our days. 

I esteem these minute particulars both curious and valua- 
ble : while ready, as Proprietary, to make every sacrifice of 
interest or privilege, for the good of his colony, his purse was 
always open to the poor, and whatever he possessed was libe- 
rally shared with those dependent upon him. He may, I ad- 
mit, be charged with improvidence. It is, unfortunately, too 
true that 

of qualities deserving- praise. 



More go to ruin fortunes, than to raise. 
Had he closely attended to his estate in Ireland, had he ne- 
glected none of his advantages in Pennsylvania, he would 
have prevented the villany of Philip Ford, escaped the mor- 
tification of imprisonment for debt, avoided many irritating 
difficulties with the colonists, and ended his life in wealth and 
comfort in his beloved province : but, we should have lost 
some of the brightest passages of his history, which relate, 
that neglecting his own aflfiiirs, expending lavishly his own 
fortune, he devoted himself, in the first place, to the planting 
of his colony, and securing its liberties and privileges, and, in 
the second, to the cause so dear to him, of liberty of conscience. 
While urging with the King the establishment of universal 
toleration, or pleading the cause of the misguided followers of 
Monmouth, or advocating the claims of Pennsylvania, before 
the Lords of Trade, he left his own affairs in the hands of a 
faithless steward, who, while he supported by his loans the 
generous expenditures of his master, was weaving his meshes 
around him, till at last the unsuspicious Penn was threatened 
with the loss of his mortgaged province ; that province which 
he had planted and reared with so much tenderness, for a 
paltry debt, infinitely beneath the sums he had expended in 
establishing it. He looked to America for relief : I would, for 



26 PRIVATE LIFE 

the honour of our ancestors, that I could say, he did not look 
in vain. It is truly discreditable to the colonists, that so far 
from easing the burden of debt, or contributing to the sup- 
port of that man, to whom they owed their peaceful homes, 
their religious liberties, and political privileges ; so far from 
repaying any part of their obligations to him, who had sacri- 
ficed in their cause the best part of his life and wealth ; they 
were refusing payment of his rents, burdening his private 
estate with the support of public officers, and trying to strip 
him of the few proprietary privileges he had reserved. Listen 
to his own eloquent and touching complaint. 

" When it pleased God to open a way for me to settle that 
colony, 1 had reason to expect a solid comfort from the ser- 
vices done to so many hundreds of people ; and it was no 
small satisfaction to me, that I have not been disappointed in 
seeing them prosper and growing up to a flourishing country, 
blest with liberty, ease, and plenty, beyond what many of 
themselves could expect ; and wanting nothing to make them- 
selves happy, but what, with a right temper of mind and pru- 
dent conduct, they might give themselves. But, alas ! as to 
my part, instead of reaping the like advantages, some of the 
greatest of my troubles have arose from thence : the many 
combats I have engaged in ; the great pains, and incredible 
expence, for your welfare and ease, to the decay of my for- 
mer estate ; of which (however some there would represent 
it) I too sensibly feel the effects ; with the undeserved oppo- 
sition I have met with from thence, sink me into sorrow, that, 
if not supported b}" a superior hand, might have overwhelmed 
me long ago. And 1 cannot but think it hard measure, that 
while that has proved a land of freedom, and flourishing, it 
should become to me, by whose means it was principally made 
a country, the cause of grief, trouble, and poverty." And 
again, after recapitulating some of his services to the colo- 
nists, he thus contrasts them with their return: — 

" The attacks on my reputation, the many indignities put 
upon me, in papers sent over hither, into the hands of those 



OF WILLIAM PENN. 27 

who could not be expected to make the most discreet and 
charitable use of them; the secret insinuations against my 
justice, besides the attempt made upon my estate ; resolves 
past in the assemblies, for turning my quit rents, never sold by 
me, to the support of government; my lands entered upon, 
without any regular method; my manors invaded, (under 
pretence I had not duly surveyed them) and both these by 
persons principally concerned in these attempts against me 
here ; a right to my overplus lands, unjustly claimed by the 
possessors of the tracts in which they are found ; my private 
estate continually exhausting, for the support of that govern- 
ment, both here and there ; and no provision made for it by 
that country; to all which I cannot but add, the violence 
that has been particularly shown to my Secretary; of which 
I cannot but thus far take notice, that, from all those charges 
I have seen, or heard of against him, I have cause to believe, 
that had he been as much in opposition to me, as he has been 
understood to stand for me, he might have met with a milder 
treatment from his prosecutors ; and to think, that any man 
should be more exposed there, on my account, and instead of 
finding favour, meet with enmity, for his being engaged in my 
service, is a melancholy consideration ! In short, when I re- 
flect on all these heads, of which I have so much cause to 
complain, and at the same time think of the hardships, I and 
my suflfering family have been reduced to, in no small mea- 
sure owing to my endeavours for, and disappointments from 
that province, I cannot but mourn the unhappiness of my 
portion dealt to me from those, of whom I had reason to ex- 
pect much better and dilFcrcnt things." 

Yet, with a patience, which injuries could not exhaust, with 
a benevolence that ingratitude could not chill, he still thought 
with fondness of the flock he had gathered, and led to Ameri- 
ca ; still looked at Pennsylvania, as his haven of rest." 

And still had hopes, his long vexations past. 
Here to return and fix liis home at last. 



28 PRIVATE LIFE. 

All his directions to his Steward, James Harrison, seem to 
look to a permanent establishment at Pennsbury ; and even 
after his second departure, he directs the improvements to 
be continued, and the gardens and house preserved. Though, 
upon the visit of his son, who he hoped would learn to love 
Pennsylvania, and establish himself in the province, which 
was then his destined inheritance ; the proprietor thought of 
resigning the Manor House to his son's family, and placing 
himself nearer to the capital, and hints that it " would be 
acceptable if the Town would be so kind as to build me a 
pretty box like Edward Shippens, upon any of my lots in 
town, or purchase Griffith Owen's, or T. Fairman's, or any 
near healthy spot as Wicaco, or the like, for Pennsbury will 
hardly accommodate my son's family and mine, unless en- 
larged." And in another letter says to James Logan, "Thou 
urgest my return, but alas! how is it good sense to save my 
estate here, to discharge debts, and eat up what I have there, 
as the best returns? But I want water; launch my vessel ; 
think of that. If I am not worthy of a house, in or near the 
town, as Griffith Owen's, T. Fairman's, or Daniel Pegg's, or 
the like, that 500 of your money may purchase for my re- 
ception, and at least 500 per annum, to live there, besides 
my own rents ; I have spent all my days, money, and pains, 
and interest, to a mean purpose. Think of this, and impart 
it ; they will all get by it, as well as myself"* But if James 
Logan ever conveyed the hint to the colonists, it certainly 
was not taken by them. The house built afterwards at 
Springetsbury, was erected at the expense of his sons, and 
no appropriation was made for his relief, ft was, perhaps, 
too much, to expect generosity from a community chiefly of 
hard-working mechanics, who had but little money, and lived 

•It was but little that he asked for; the greater shame to the colonists, 
that they complied not with a request so reasonable. Nearly 20 years be- 
fore, he thus wrote to his steward, James Harrison: " The country thinks not 
upon my supply, and I resolve never to act the Governor, and keep another 
family and capacity, upon my private estate. If my table, cellar, and sta- 
ble, may be provided for, with a baree and yacht, or sloop for the semce of 



OF WILLIAM PENS. 29 

with the utmost frugality ; who could neither appreciate the 
tastes, nor measure the necessities of those born and educated 
in a higher sphere than their own; but we cannot but be sur- 
prised, that the conduct of the Proprietary had not inspired 
them with unbounded confidence and gratitude; that, owing 
every thing to him, they were not anxious to prevent his 
wants, and gratify his every wish. 

During his last visit, William Penn's town residence was 
" the old Slate House," still standing in Second Street, op- 
posite to the bank of Pennsylvania. But he was chiefly at 
his Manor House of Pennsbury, in Bucks county, a building 
which, owing to neglect, went to premature decay, and was 
pulled down a short time before our revolutionary war. Mr. 
Watson, in the second volume of our Memoirs, describes a 
visit made to its site, a few years ago, but he could do little 
more than trace the foundations of the edifice, — 

Sunk were its bowers in shapeless ruin all, 
And the tall grass o'ertoptthe moulding wall. 

A landscape view of it, is probably preserved in England; for, 
in 1686, William Penn wrote to his steward for " a draught 
of Pennsbury, which an artist would quickly take, with the 
landscape of the house ; out-buildings ; their proportion, and 
distance, one from another ; the river, gardens, and orchards, 
&c." And repeating his request, in another letter adds, 
" there are those there that can do it ;" which may be men- 
tioned as the earliest proof that any of the inhabitants of 
Pennsylvania were skilled in the arts of design. We may, 
perhaps, indulge the hope of procuring from Mr. Penn this 
interesting drawing. In the mean time, some interest may 
be found in such a description of the house, and grounds, as 
1 have been able to collect, from the various manuscript au- 

the Governor, and government, I may try to gett hence. For in the sight of 
God, I can sa}', I am five thousand pounds and more behindhand, more than 
ever I received or saw, for land in that province, and to be so baffled by the 
merchants, is very discouraging. 



30 PRIVATE LIFE 

thorities, to which 1 am indebted for the facts in the present 
discourse. 

The principal mansion was about 60 feet in front, facing 
the river. It was two stories in height, and of brick. Its 
appearance was, it is said, stately, and it was entered by a 
handsome porch and steps. On the first floor was a large 
hail, probably the whole length of the house, used on public 
occasions for the meeting of the council, and the entertain- 
ment of strangers, and the Indians ; a little hall, and at least 
three parlors, all wainscoted, and communicating by folding- 
doors. On the roof was a large leaden reservoir, for water, 
to the leakage of which, is attributed, in part, the ruin of the 
mansion. The outhouses, which were uniform, and facing in a 
line with the house, were 1st, a kitchen and larder; 2c], a wash- 
house; 3d, a house for brewing, and baking ; and 4th, a stable 
for twelve horses: all these one story and a half high. The Man- 
sion House was seated on a moderate eminence, made a pe- 
ninsula by the Welcome creek, which was crossed by several 
bridges. A broad walk through an avenue of poplars led to the 
river, descending from the upper terrace to the lower grounds 
by a flight of steps. The house was surrounded with gar- 
dens and lawn^ and the more distant woods were opened in 
vistas, looking down the river, and upwards to the Falls. 
These woods had been laid out in walks, at the Proprietor's 
first visit, and the preservation of the trees is enjoined in 
several of his letters. He had some thoughts " of running 
a pale across the neck, half way towards the south point, for 
the beginning of a park," but, we have no reason to think 
that this plan was executed. He was anxious about the 
rearing of cattle, and designed the neighbouring island for 
feeding " young cattle, and a studd of mares." But he does 
not seem to have had much of the knowledge of a farmer, 
and his chief care and solicitude are about his gardens. He 
sent out several gardeners, one of them a Scotchman, re- 
commended as " a rare artist." He directs, that he shall 
have three men under him, and, if he cannot agree with the 



OF WILLIAM PENiV. Si 

old gardener Ralph, is to leave to his charge, the upper gar- 
dens, and court yards, and to take as his own province the 
lower grounds. The Proprietor sent out from England, wal- 
nuts, hawthorns, hazels, fruit trees, and a great variety of 
the rarest seeds, and roots ; while in this country, (as we 
learn from the cash book,) he procured from Maryland, se- 
veral panniers of the trees, and shrubs, indigenous in that 
province, and he directed, by his letters, that the most beau- 
tiful wild flowers of the woods should be transplanted into 
his grounds. On the whole, his directions indicate a love of 
nature, and elegance of taste, which are very remarkable. 
While we peruse the letters of William Penn, we may be- 
lieve that Pennsbury was truly a delightful seat ; but of its 
charms not one trace remains ; its woods are destroyed, its 
lawns are corn fields, not one shrub, not one " garden flower 
grown wild" survives: a few English cherries, and some stumps 
of ornamental trees, were all that Mr. Watson could trace 
of the glories of the garden.* 

At his manor of Springetsbury, which covered the larger 
part of Penn Township, he had no mansion; the villa, to 
the north of Bush Hill, of which we may all recollect the 
stables, green-house, and shrubbery, was built by his son 
Thomas about a century ago ; but on the same estate, to the 
northward, a vineyard was planted by his directions, which 
gave its name to the estate now covered by the village of 
Francisville ; though, according to old draughts, an eminence 
nearer the Schuylkill (perhaps on the site of Pratt's Garden) is 
denominated " Old Vineyard Hill." There he established a per- 
son skilled in the culture of the vine, whom he had sent for 
from France, and supported at considerable expense, having 
much at heart the making of wine in his province. The fol- 
lowing are extracts from his letters on this subject: " I writ, 
that regard should be had to Andrew Doze about the vine- 

In 1705, he writes, " If Pennsbury has cost me one penny, it has cost me 
above 5000/., and it was with an intention to settle tiiere ; tliongh God has 
been pleased to order it otherwise. 1 should have returned to it, in 1686, or 
at farthest, in 1689. 



32 PRIVATE LIFE 

yard: I know if is a charge ; but if wine can be made, it will 
be worth the province thousands by the year; for many French- 
men are disheartened by the Carolinians.* In seven years 
there would be hundreds of vineyards, if the experiment takes, 
and I understand by Patrick Lloyd and Dr. More, that he pro- 
duced ripe grapes the 28th of the fifth month, '86, when the 
roots were but fifteen or sixteen months planted. 'Tis an high 
character of the country, and Andrew Doze, I am told, sayd 
he deserved the place, paying me only an acknowledgement 
in wine." And, in another letter, he says, "All the vines sent 
in this vessel are intended for Andrew on the Schuylkill for 
the vineyard. I could have been glad of a taste last year, as I 
hear he made some." Whether he long persisted in the ex- 
periment I cannot tell ; it was, however, it seems probable, 
abandoned, at farthest, at his second visit in 1699, and is only 
one of many examples to prove, that, in this country, wine 
is not to be expected from the foreign grapes. 

Thus was the mind of the Proprietor, in the midst of the 
tumults of parties, and the whirlwind of revolution, occupied 
about the advancement of agriculture, in his colony. Most 
of the emigrants were husbandmen, and he esteemed it their 
happiness. He lived a country life, and would recommend 
it to his children. " The country," says he, " is the philo- 
sopher's garden and library, in which he reads and contem- 
plates the power, wisdom, and goodness of God. It is his 
food, as well as study, and gives him life, as well as learning." 
And in his parting instructions to his wife, he enjoins: "Let 
my children be husbandmen, and housewives; it is industri- 
ous, healthy, honest, and of good report. This leads to con- 
sider the works of God, and diverts the mind from being 

• WlUlam Penn also gave the means of emigration to a respectable Fi-ench 
Protestant, Charles Ue la Noue, who promised to undertake the culture of the 
vine. Could he have been a descendant of that model of cavaliers, that rare 
union of genius, honour, courage, and piety, Francois De la Noue, the Hugue- 
not captain, more admirable in every particular than Bayard; but, perhaps, 
eclipsed, which the latter was not, by the more brilliant qualities of his 
master. 



OF WILLIAM PENN. H'S 

taken up witli the vain arts and inventions of a luxurious 
world. Of cities and towns of concourse, beware. The 
world is apt to stick close to those who have lived, and get 
wealth there : a country life and estate, I love best for my 
children." 

With such views, he, in 1703, sent to Pennsylvania his son 
William, During the absence of his father, this young man 
had been di'awn into all the fashionable dissipations of the 
day. Distinguished as the eldest son of the Proprietor of 
Pennsylvania, he was sought for, by the first people in Lon- 
don, and as his father says, " he had wit, kept the top com- 
pany, pretended to much honour, was but over generous by 
half, and sharp enough to get to spend, and must be handled 
with much love and wisdom." In short, the society of coffee- 
houses and taverns, then the usual resort of the Wits,* and 
the fashionable saloons of London, perhaps not less corrupt- 
ing, had formed in him habits, not only inconsistent with his 
father's principles ; but even, perhaps, debasing to him, as a 
gentleman. Distinguished for good nature, and a yielding tem- 
per, he could not withstand the temptations to which he was 
exposed; and when our excellent Proprietor returned to Eng- 
land in 1702, he found his eldest son, the hope of his house, 
travelling rapidly the road to ruin and disgrace. How deeply 
he felt this, may be seen in his letters to his secretary Logan; 
to whose care and guidance he committed this son, when he 
prevailed on him to tear himself away from his dangerous, 
though fascinating associations ; hoping that an honest pride 
of name, good example, simple and virtuous pleasures, and 
an interest in the affairs of the colony, he was then destined 
to govern, might win him back to sobriety and virtue. 

• At Philadelphia, too, it was then tlie usage of gentlemen to meet their 
friends at a tavern. Business rarely occupied the afternoon, and at the 
White Hart Inn, the most reputable in the place, were generally to be found 
some of the most respectable persons of tlie province, with tlieir jiipes and 
bottle, enjoying that easy and unrestrained conversation, which tliey would 
perhaps have found no where else. 

n 



34 PRIVATE LITE 

" Take him," says he, " immediately away to Pennsbury, 
and there give him the true state of things, and weigh down 
his levities, as well as temper his resentments, and inform 
his understanding, since all depends upon it, as well for his 
future happiness, as, in measure, the poor country's. I pro- 
pose Governor Hamilton, Samuel Carpenter, Isaac Norris, 
young Shippen, and the best, and most civilized of others, 
for his conversation, and I hope Colonel Markham, and cou- 
sin Ashton, and the Fairmans may come in for a share, but 
the first cliiefly. Watch him, outwill him, and honestly over- 
reach him for his good. Fishing, little journeys, (as to see 
the Indians, &.c.,) will divert him ; no rambling to New York, 
nor mungrill correspondence. Entreat friends to bear all they 
can, and melt towards him, at least civilly, if not religiously ; 
he will confide in thee. If Samuel Carpenter, Richard Hill, 
and Isaac Norris, could gain his confidence, and tender Grif- 
fith Owen, (not the least likely, for he feels and sees,) I should 
rejoice. Pennsylvania has cost me dearer in my poor child, 
than in all other considerations. The Lord direct his ways 
for liis honour, his father's comfort, and his own peace ; may 
thou have the religious authority, and persuasiveness with 
him, to balance against passion, levity, and too great open- 
ness. He has excelling qualities, with his lessening infirmi- 
ties." And, again : " He aims to improve his study, this win- 
ter with thee, as well as to know the country, the laws and 
people, and his interests and mine therein ; use thy utmost 
influence upon him, to make him happy in himself, and me 
in him. Pray watch over him for good; qualify his heats, 
inform his judgment, increase his knowledge; he has a more 
than ordinary opinion of thee, advise him to proper company; 
give him fitting hints how far to go, he being naturally 
too open, and prevent his quarrelling with our enemies, an 
adv^antage they may improve to our prejudice. In short, 
keep him inotfensively employed, at those times that he is not 
profitably concerned. Let the first be the country, its laws, 
and constitutions, and the settlement of the town, and conn- 



OF WILLIAM ^EN^. 35 

ties; then study, with intervals, in the woods, and upon the 
waters. Be as much as possible with him, and let him not 
be at any public house after the allowed hours, nor keep any 
expense at Pennsbury, in entertainments, &c." But alas, his 
good father was in this instance, as in so many others, des- 
tined to have a cruel disappointment. James Logan devoted 
himself to him as his mentor; they went to Pennsbury to- 
gether, the young Proprietor received the affectionate wel- 
come of the Indians, and at Philadelphia established them- 
selves in a good style, at Clark's great house. The principal 
friends of his father noticed him with kindness, letters from 
Philadelphia say " he is generally well received, and seldom 
fails of drawing love where he comes." His natural sw^eet- 
ness of temper, and inclination to what is good are spoken of; 
but the good influence he was under at first, was not lasting. 
Encouraged by the imprudent and dissipated Governor Evans, 
and a few others, he fell into his old habits, which soon be- 
coming notorious in so small a place, brought him into dis- 
grace and trouble. Having lost the respect of all the better 
parts of society here, he remained not much longer in Ameri- 
ca, but returned with mortified pride to England, where he 
rapidly sank each day deeper into the slough of dissipation ; 
and having deserted his wife and friends, and imbittered the 
last years of reason of his excellent father, died a few years 
after him in France.* 

William Penn was not destined to see a son grow up 
an honour to his name and credit to his care. His first born, 
Springct, died at the age of twenty, a youth of the finest 
genius, and most admirable virtues ; the father's beautiful 
memorial of this son is to be found in his works. His three 
youngest sons were still small, when their father's intellect 

* while in Pennsylvania, young William Penn, openly professed his dis- 
union from the Society of Friends ; on his return to England, to the great 
affliction of his father, he declared his intention of entering the arm)', or 
navy, and finally stood as a candidate for Parliament, but failed in carrying 
his election ; all these were doubtless expedients for avoiding his creditors, 
who pressed him sorely, and obliged him to fly to the continent. 



36 I'RIVATE LIFE 

became clouded, and his power of instruction taken away. 
Whether Hannah Penn attended to his admirable directions, 
for the education of his elder children, I know not Her 
limited means would hardly permit her to follow out his gene- 
rous views, contained in the following extract: "Let their 
learning be liberal, spare no cost, for by such parsimony all 
is lost that is saved." Of the eldest and youngest, John and 
Richard, we know little; Thomas was bred a merchant, and 
had excellent business habits and talents, though he did not 
continue to pursue commerce. By the death and will of 
John, becoming Proprietor of three fourths of the province, 
he was chiefly occupied with its affaire, and he fulfilled his 
charge with good sense, liberality, and honour. 

I could wish, that Clarkson had printed the whole of Wil- 
liam Penn's " Rules for the Regulation of his Family." Though 
they chiefly concern the government and conduct of his ser- 
vants, they would have been altogether interesting, and would 
have assisted me in the faint picture I have presented of his 
domestic life. What is, however, quoted in the Memoirs of 
William Penn is important, and, as rules of conduct, might be 
placed with those of his admirable Enchiridion. Regularity, 
modesty, and temperance, are simply and forcibly enjoined, 
and even in his industrious disposition of hours, the greatness 
of his mind is shown. 

Family devotion commenced and ended every day. We 
can well imagine this patriarchal scene, where this good man, 
surrounded by his family and servants, offered up his daily 
prayers and services to God ; a usage once common in the 
households of countrj'^ gentlemen in England: I would I could 
believe it had many followers in modern times, and in our 
own country. Our churches are, indeed, crowded on the first 
day of the week, but pride, or the fear of the world, may 
carry thither the modern Pharisee. Our preachers may boldly 
defend the faith, and vehemently denounce the follies and 
pleasures of the world ; but lust of power, vanity, hypo- 
crisy, may lurk in the bosom of the Elder. Prayers may 



OF WILLIAM PENN. 37 

be offered in the privacy of the closet, yet is it possible to pro- 
tect them from selfishness? But, in the humble offering of a 
whole family, where the master and servant kneel side by 
side, and the world sees us not, neither pride of rank, nor 
vanity of attainments, nor sectarian bigotry, nor single inter- 
ests can enter. Or, if in an exercise so endearing, so knitting 
together of hearts, any thing of selfishness enters, it is so re- 
fined and elevated, that it no longer deserves that name. 

Let it be borne in mind, that three times in every day was 
assembled for religious duties the tamily of William Penn ; 
and if there be any who have been shocked at the picture of 
his worldliness (if they call it so) that I have presented, I ask 
them only to look into their own hearts, and inquire whether 
they have as often even thought of their Creator in the daily 
revolution of the sun ; to search their own memories, and see 
if in their life they have done half the good to their fellow 
creatures. 

Had William Penn been only a despised and persecuted 
dissenter, I would not boast of his consistency. Had he al- 
ways lived in ascetic seclusion, I would not praise his mode- 
ration and temperance. But, as the associate of statesmen, 
the counsellor of princes, the friend of the worldly and the 
witty, he was neither dazzled by splendour, nor seduced by 
pleasure ; enjoying rank and intluence, his heart stood the test 
of prosperity, as well as it sustained the trials of persecution 
and adversity. Concerned in affairs of state, he was guilt- 
less of intrigue ; possessed of power, he was never arbitrary ; 
prodigal in his expenses, but only for the public good ; in 
want of money, he was still a patriot. Such was the Foun- 
der of Pennsylvania. When we turn from his public career 
to his private life, his virtues offer a picture not less delightful, 
which I should have pride and pleasure in attempting, had I 
not found, in the Testimony of Reading meeting in England, a 
character of William Penn, so beautiful and so complete, that 
I could not hope to equal it ; and as it is the evidence of his 
contemporaries and neighbours, who knew him last and best. 



38 PRIVATE LIFE OF WILLIAM TEXN. 

and has the sanction of a religious society, proverbially scru- 
pulous in their eulogies, I will read it to you entire, and with 
it shall conclude. 

After speaking of his death and funeral, the memorial con- 
tinues: — 

" He was a man of great abilities — of an excellent sweet- 
ness of disposition — quick of thought, and of ready utterance, 
— full of the qualifications of true discipleship, even ' love, 
without dissimulation :' As extensive in charity, as compre- 
hensive in knowledge, and to whom malice and ingratitude 
were utter strangers ; so ready to forgive enemies, that the 
ungrateful were not excepted." 

" Had not the management of his temporal affairs been at- 
tended with some deficiencies, envy itself would be to seek 
for matter of accusation ; and even in charity, that part of 
his conduct may be attributed to a peculiar sublimity of mind; 
notwithstanding which, he may, without straining his charac- 
ter, be ranked among the learned, the good, and the great ; 
whose abilities are sufficiently manifested throughout his la- 
borious writings, which are so many lasting monuments of 
his admired qualifications, and are the esteem of learned and 
judicious men among all persuasions." 

" And although, in old age, by reason of some shocks of a 
violent distemper, his intellects were much impaired ; yet his 
sweetness and loving disposition surmounted its utmost efforts, 
and remained, when reason almost failed." 

"In fine — he was learned, without vanity — apt, without for- 
wardness — facetious in conversation, yet weighty and seri- 
ous — of an extraordinary greatness of mind, yet void of 
the stain of ambition — as free from rigid gravity, as he was 
clear of unseemly levity — a man — a scholar — a friend — a 
minister, surpassing in speculative endowments — whose me- 
morial will be valued with the wise, and blessed with the 
just." 



A P P E i\ » I X. 



If the particulars dwelt on in (he preceding pages, now appear 
trivial and of no interest, they will, at least, if preserved in the 
Transactions of the Historical Society, grow into importance, as 
the period and manners they illustrate shall, in the progress of 
time, become more distantly removed; and when William Penn 
and his followers shall be considered as ancient as Columbus and 
his companions are by our generation, we shall, perhaps, be 
thanked by our successors for handing down to them a descrip- 
tion of his dress and a record of his expenses. 

With this view I add, as an appendix, the following additional 
excerpts from the cash book. 



The whole expenses of William Penn from November, 1699, 
to the same month in 1701, amounted to s62,049, Pennsylvania 
currency. 



The servants of AVilliam Penn, named in the cash book, are 
Mary Lofty, housekeeper; Ann Nichols, cook; John Sotcher, 
steward at Pennsbury; Hugh Sharp, gardener; Robert Beek- 
ham, man servant; Dorothy Mullars, a German maid, and Dor- 
cas, a negrine. These do not appear to have been the whole of 
the establishment. There were evidently no slaves at Penns- 
bury, contemporary with the cash book, except such as were 
hired of their masters for a limited period. 



40 



APPE\D1X. 



The following list of prices will give some idea of the relative 
expenses of the times. It consists of extracts from the cash book, 
beginning in November, 1699. 



Coal per ton, . . 

Wood for 10 cords, 

Cheese per pound, 

Cider per barrel, . 

Lime, for 6 bushels, 

Oil per barrel, . 

A barrel of olives, 

Molasses, 1 hhd. at 
per gallon, . 

Oats per bushel, . 

Load of hay, . 

Cranberries per bu- 
shel 

Sugar per pound, 

Candles 3 1-2 do- 
zen, .... 

Candles 70 pounds 
wt. from Boston, 

Pr. of leather stock- 
ings, .... 

Pr. of stockings for 
Governor Penn, 

Pr. for a servant. 

For dressing the Go- 
vernor's hat, 

Ton of flour, . 

A quarter of beef 
1461b. per pound, 

A hog, .... 



£. 


s. 


rf.' 


2 




i 


4 


1 


6 
6 


1 


10 
11 




2 


5 
10 






3 


4 




2 






9 






2 


12 


o 


9 


8 


3 


10 




3 


2 
8 






1 


8 




1 


8 


17 




41 


1 







A deer, .... 

Cocoa nuts for 20 
pounds, . . . 

Sherry wine per do- 
zen, .... 

Canary wine per do- 
zen, .... 

A barrel of gunpow- 
der, .... 

A horse bought of 
J. Janney, 

A boat for the plan- 
tation. 

Cook's wages for a 

Jfai' 

Wire cage with a 

cistern, . 
Six chairs, . . 
Six cushions to 

Claus Berents, 
A chest of drawers,* 
Coat for a labouring 

man, .... 
A farrier at New 

Castle for cure of 

a horse, . 
A lawyer's fee to T. 

Clark, . . . 
A painted skin, 



14 



10 



15 



A labouring man's hire varied from 2s. 6d. to 4s. per diem. 

To judge of these prices, it is important to know vvhat was the 
provincial currency, and this I cannot exactly ascertain; but 
the guinea of gold usually sold fur ,£1. 13s.; though sometimes 
for 32s. The pound sterling is in one place estimated at 30s. 
currency. The English crown at 8s.; while the dollar varied 
from 6s. to 6s. Qd.; and the piece of 8, from 7s. 4d. to 7s. Sd. 

• A wedding present from Lstitia to Mary Lofty, the liousckeeper, on 
her marriag-e to .Tolin Sotcher. 



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